Methods and systems for assessing psychological characteristics

Abstract

A method for assessing a pre-cognitive emotional response from a test subject, using responses obtained during the first moments of brain activity after presentation of a stimulus, includes exposing the test subject to a visual stimulus for between approximately 500 milliseconds and approximately 1 second, and receiving an input from the subject while the subject is exposed to the visual stimulus or within approximately 300 milliseconds after the subject is first exposed to the stimulus. The method further includes storing, in response to receiving the input, a user response that identifies one of a plurality of emotional reactions that is associated with the visual stimulus. Each of the exposing, receiving, and storing acts is repeated for a plurality of visual stimuli. The method further includes determining, based on each of the stored user responses, one or more dominant emotional characteristics of the subject.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 maintaining a set of visual stimuli, each of the visual stimuli being associated with an identified emotional reaction that is likely to be elicited in a subject to whom the stimulus is presented, 
 identifying to a subject, by computer through a user interface, a context with which emotional reactions are to be associated; 
 after identifying the context to the subject, presenting, to the subject, by a computer through a presentation interface, the visual stimuli to the subject, including, for each visual stimulus:
 presenting the visual stimulus for a limited period of time having a predefined duration of more than 500 milliseconds and less than 1000 milliseconds, the duration of the limited period of time being enforced by computer and being sufficiently brief as to limit or prevent cognitive processing of the visual stimulus by the subject, 
 ending the presenting of the visual stimulus at the end of the limited period of time, 
 providing a grace period immediately following the end of the limited period of time, the grace period having a predefined duration of up to 300 milliseconds during which none of the visual stimuli is presented, the duration of the grace period being enforced by computer, and 
 presenting a subsequent visual stimulus at the end of the grace period; 
 
 by a computer, receiving a response, by the subject, to at least one of the visual stimuli during a response period including the first limited period of time and the grace period, the response of the subject to a particular visual stimulus representing a emotional reaction of the subject to the particular visual stimulus in relation to the context; 
 by a computer, storing information that represents the pre-cognitive emotional reaction of the subject to each of the at least one visual stimuli for which a response was received; 
 and 
 by a computer, determining, based on at least some of the stored information, one or more dominant emotional characteristics of the subject in relation to the context. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the stored information identities the emotional reaction that is associated with each visual stimulus for which a response was received. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein presenting the visual stimuli to the subject includes, for each visual stimulus, selecting the visual stimulus randomly from the set of visual stimuli. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the context includes a stem sentence. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 2 , wherein determining the one or more dominant emotional characteristics is based on a greatest amount of stored information representing the same specific emotional reaction. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the one or more dominant emotional characteristics is based on a time elapsed between exposing the subject to a particular visual stimulus and receiving the response, by the subject, to the particular visual stimulus. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , comprising determining a motivational profile of the subject based on the one or more dominant emotional characteristics of the subject, wherein each of the one or more dominant emotional characteristics of the subject is linked to a motivational characteristic within a motivational model. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the motivational characteristics include one or more of security, empowerment, belonging, identity, engagement, nurturance, mastery, achievement, and esteem. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 7 , comprising assessing one or more of a value and a design of at least one of a product and a service with respect to the subject based on the motivational profile of the subject. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 7 , comprising matching the subject, based on the motivational profile of the subject, with at least one of an advertisement, a product, a service, a job, an individual, and a group of individuals using a website. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , comprising determining the one or more dominant emotional characteristics of the subject based at least in part on a classification of the selected visual stimuli. 
     
     
       12. A system comprising:
 a processor coupled to a memory, the processor and memory configured to:
 serially present, on a display, each of two or more visual stimuli to a user, each visual stimulus associated with specific emotional reaction that the visual stimulus is known to evoke, including presenting each visual stimulus for a limited period of time having a predefined duration of more than 500 milliseconds and less than 1000 milliseconds, the duration of the limited period of time being enforced by computer and being sufficiently brief as to limit or prevent cognitive processing of the visual stimulus by the subject; 
 receive, on a user input device, a selection, by the user, of each of one or more of the presented visual stimuli visual stimulus, each selection representing a emotional reaction of the user to the respective visual stimulus, including receiving the selection during a response period including the limited period of time and a grace period having a predefined duration of up to 300 milliseconds, the duration of the grace period being enforced by computer, none of the visual stimuli being presented during the grace period; and 
 assess one or more dominant emotional characteristics of the user based on at least one of the selections. 
 
 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12 , in which the processor and the memory are configured to assess a motivational profile of the user based on the one or more dominant emotional characteristics of the user, wherein each of the one or more dominant emotional characteristics of the user is linked to a motivational characteristic within a motivational model. 
     
     
       14. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for causing a processor to:
 present, to a subject, by a computer through a presentation interface, visual stimuli, each of the visual stimuli being associated with an identified emotional reaction, the presenting including, for each visual stimulus:
 presenting the visual stimulus for a limited period of time having a predefined duration of more than 500 milliseconds and less than 1000 milliseconds, the duration of the limited period of time being enforced by computer and being sufficiently brief as to limit or prevent cognitive processing of the visual stimulus by the subject, 
 ending the presenting of the visual stimulus at the end of the limited period of time, 
 providing a grace period immediately following the end of the limited period of time, the grace period having a predefined duration of up to 300 milliseconds during which none of the visual stimuli is presented, the duration of the grace period being enforced by computer, and 
 presenting a subsequent visual stimulus at the end of the grace period; 
 
 receive a response, by the subject, to at least one of the visual stimuli during a response period including the limited period of time and the grace period, the response of the subject to a particular visual stimulus representing a emotional reaction of the subject to the particular visual stimulus; 
 store information that represents the pre-cognitive emotional reaction that is associated with each of the at least one visual stimuli for which a response was received; 
 and 
 determine, based on at least some of the stored information, one or more dominant emotional characteristics of the subject in relation to a context for assessing a psychological characteristic of the subject. 
 
     
     
       15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to determine a motivational profile of the subject based on the one or more dominant emotional characteristics of the subject, wherein each of the one or more dominant emotional characteristics of the subject is linked to a motivational characteristic within a motivational model.